Dreams live
by BlazePheonix
Summary: Ani runs into a mysterious daemon who shows him through a dream a glimpse of a dim future. THe daemon dog seems oddly familiar to our not so friendly character. Could the mutt be the only thing to save Ani from certain death or is there another way. How d
1. Prologue

Dreams Live

Author's note: Usual boring disclaimer, though it's posted on my personals part above all my stories. That's why it's there so I don't have to put a note every time.

Prologue

"Why can't you just listen for two seconds?" Oto snapped.

"Listen to what? How are you able to tell me everything's alright?" Ani moved further away.

"Just listen."

"NO, I am tired of listening. I don't give a damn anymore. I turned into a demon to stay with you and Isabella; I raised the two of you. I did everything I could to support you two."

"And we appreciate it but…"

"No, no buts. I'm tired of you shoving me around and beating the shit out of me. I'm leaving and I don't know if I'm coming back yet." Ani snapped, then someone knocked at the door, "What is it?"

"We've got a few problems boss." Karasu spoke up.

"Then wait a moment and you can talk it over with Oto because I'm not your boss." Ani opened the door and looked Karasu in the face for an instant. There were tears in his eyes as he ran past the two demons.

"What happened this time?" Bui looked back.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Oto closed the door.

"It doesn't seem like nothing if it'll make Ani cry." Karasu looked in the refrigerator.

"He was crying?"

"Jeez, you don't notice much do you?"

Ani ran out of the apartment building and hid in the woods. He hid his face in his sleeve so if anyone came by they wouldn't know he was crying. But how could anyone see him up in the tree, well someone did. A boy, about seventeen, leaped up into the tree. He was only one branch higher than Ani.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked.

"Nothing, get lost." Ani snapped.

"It can't be nothing if you're upset. Did HE do something to upset you?"

"Who, my brother?"

"Yeah, that guy looks like he could use an ass whoopin'"

"Don't even try kid."

"Why, you don't think a powerful daemon like me could beat a demon like him?"

"A what?"

"A daemon, a demonic animal neither normal nor a demonic creature, it's a lonely road sometimes but I'm cool with it."

"How'd you find me?"

"Like any other huge fan would, I'm a dog and you left a strand of hair of the side line in your last match."

"What kind of dog?"

"Wolf-Husky, I'm a mutt. The name's Rocky."

"Well Rocky, what do you want?"

"I overheard the argument; I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine, thank you. I just didn't want a fight in the room. My sister doesn't need to see us fighting."

"How noble, I used to be a normal dog once. My master was like you, I guess that's why I'm such a fan."

"What happened to him?"

"My guess would be that he died a mortal. It's a good thing because his father has become immortal and would hurt my master further if he found him. My master saved me from being burnt alive and I left soon after with this." Rocky had a red bandana around his neck.

A moment later they heard Oto looking for Ani and climbed higher into the tree. Ani was tired but not ready to go back. Rocky offered to guard over him if he wanted to rest in the tree. Ani drifted to sleep, though he told Rocky he'd go back and rest, obviously the daemon had other plans.

A/N: _/ blah/- actual person_

"_blah"-any one in dream_

_/What's going on/ Ani looked around/This is my room, what's going on/._

_There is the bed was Ani, but tinier, he'd gotten ill. Oto was sitting at his side and the others were all worried about him. They came in occasionally. _

_/What's going on? How am I there and here at the same time/_

"_How is he?" it was Karasu._

"_Don't know, he hasn't woken since earlier." Oto replied softly._

"_It's not your fault; we all should've known he'd end up sick if we didn't do something." _

"_Yeah, but you aren't his brother. He didn't raise you. And you didn't spend your life treating him like shit." _

"_True, but we spent most of the time ignoring him and letting him take care of everyone but himself." Bui stepped in._

_/What you talking about? What happened to me/ Ani walked over toward the bed/NO, that's not me. What's going on? Rocky let me out now, I mean it/_

Ani tossed and turned in the daemon's arms, but Rocky couldn't let him out yet. He hadn't even put him in the dream. Hell, Rocky didn't even know what Ani saw. When he heard Ani demand that he be freed, Rocky waved his hand over the shape-shifter's face and Ani awoke.

"What did you do?" Ani snapped.

"Nothing I swear, I can only awaken the sleeping. I can't put them to sleep." Rocky sighed.

"So who did this to me?"

"I don't know but what ever you saw will happen eventually and I'm not sure what you saw was too good." Rocky dashed off before Ani could say anymore.


	2. Ani's old pet

Part one

Ani sat on his bed, in the dark, after months of being deathly ill. It was just as the vision described, Oto was still checking on him every couple of hours. He'd gotten sick because of all the work he'd been doing around the house had stressed him out. He was still quizzical as to who Rocky really was. The shape shifter could tell he was keeping something from him. "Ani, why don't you turn the light on?" Oto went to flip the switch.

"DON'T TOUCH IT. I like it in the dark." Ani snapped.

"Alright, well dinner's in ten."

"I'll be down." Ani heard him leaving, "And Oto, stop checking on me. I'm fine."

"I'm just worried about you."

"Well stop, it's annoying."

As soon as Ani heard the television go on in the den he let out a sigh. He hadn't heard anything from Rocky since the night at the tournament. It was like he didn't exist. Ani couldn't decide whether the lanky daemon had really been there or if he was just losing his mind. "Did you miss me?" a figure was sitting in his windowsill.

"Who are you?" Ani trembled.

"Relax, it's me Rocky." The two colored eyes looked back at him.

"You scared me, what's going on?"

"I need to tell you something. I'm terrified Ani."

"Of what, you're a daemon?"

"The new immortal is your father. He's free."

"How do you know?"

"I'm your hound, I was your faithful companion. But now I'm just a beaten hound who's heart aches from lying for so long."

"Roland?"

"That was my name, I had to change to hide from your father."

"Stay here for the night, it'll be safer here."

"I can't Claw will be alone."

"I will always be at your side." A figure replaced Rocky in the window.

"Claw, I told you to stay at the apartment."

"I wanted to meet your former master."

"Master, when was this decided?" Ani looked confused.

"ANI, dinner." Oto called up the stairs.

"I'll be down in a moment. You two stay here, I'll slip you something when they go to bed."

Ani closed the door behind him and went down stairs, he didn't want to tell the others about Rocky. He ate silently, letting the others talk about whatever they were talking about. "Don't you think so Ani?" Isabella asked.

"Hm, I'm sorry what?" he looked up.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just not up to talking."

"Karasu was just telling us that Nexus was asking him to stay with her for awhile so he can be properly trained. Izzy asked if it was nice." Oto clued him in.

"Yeah, it's great." Ani sighed.

"Aren't you happy for me?" Karasu asked, crestfallen.

"I'm thrilled, it's just that I'm still a bit under the weather is all. I'm really thrilled for you crow, have you to Kurama yet." Ani rubbed his eyes.

"No, but I'm going to tomorrow." Karasu was beaming.

After the others went to sleep Ani slipped down the stairs and took some of the leftovers. He returned to see Rocky was sitting in Claw's lap and nuzzling his neck. He cleared his throat, getting the two K-9s' attention. "Food! Gods I'm starving. Thanks so much." Rocky leaped up.


	3. Who's fault is it?

Part two

When Rocky went to sleep Ani decided to talk with Claw about the daemon hound that had once slept at the foot of his bed some nights. Claw was willing to tell their tale of how they met and exactly what had occurred.

_It was late and I was on a prowl, a wolf has to eat. I decided to be lazy and pick through the garbage before actually going on the hunt. That's when I spotted the mutt lying in an old doghouse. He was terrified, his body bleeding and a human walking over. He told Rocky that his body shouldn't be destroyed and couldn't wait to see him soon. This angered me that a human had wrongfully harmed a daemon. I didn't want the human to see me so I waited for him to leave; he had chained Rocky to the doghouse. Once he was inside, I walked over and nudged him with my nose to see if he was alive and he whimpered. He was terrified of me and cringed further into the tiny doghouse. "Just relax" I told him, "I'll get you out of here.". Then I chomped the chain and pulled him onto my back. _

_I carried him back to my den and transformed, taking my human shape. He was already in his and I laid him on the cot. It took some time to bandage his wounds but I managed. Unfortunately he didn't trust me to bandage the one up his thigh, but it had stopped bleeding so I didn't bother. When he finally woke and was somewhat civil tongued, we talked. _

_He told me he was searching for his human, but didn't tell me by name who his human was. He told me everything that transpired after he ran away when he was burnt. But our conversation didn't last long. His thigh had started to bleed again; the human had torn the flesh off part of his thigh. He was in pain, and decided to accept my help. When I bandaged the wound he laid a hand on it and realized that I hadn't hurt him, he's got an odd way of thinking. _

"So he told you what my father did to me?" Ani sighed.

"Yep, not that it bothers me to know I'm not a talker. But Rocky, he something special, after I bandaged his leg he fell on his side. I knew it wouldn't stop bleeding unless he put pressure on it. But he was in no condition to move or speak." Claw shrugged.

"What happened?"

"I laid my hand on his thigh and put the pressure on it. He was unnerved that I was touching his leg and tried to pull away. I ran my free hand through his hair, telling him that I had no intention of hurting him like that."

"Did he trust you?"

"Surprisingly he did, but afterwards he got sick. It was winter in the human world and by the time I'd taken him to my den he had hypothermia. He was frozen and I had to keep him warm, or he'd die."

"Why save him if you're a loner?"

"I'm no loner, most of my pack died years before. I needed a companion and he seemed like he was loyal seeing as he was assaulted trying to find you."

"This is my fault." Ani ran his fingers through Rocky's dark blonde hair.

"If blame is to be place then it is to be on the human who harmed my lover."

"But it's because of me that my father burned him the first time. He was protecting me, my father locked him in a wooden cage and set if on fire."

"But you saved him, you set your father's sleeve on fire so Rocky could escape."


End file.
